Renascence
by laughingmagician
Summary: Sequel to my fic "The Treasure" Picks up with Jeremy's new life as an immortal and how he handles it.
1. Default Chapter

**Renascence **

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Elektra or any other Marvel Comics characters. This is a fan fiction story meant only for the enjoyment of myself and other Elektra movie and comic fans.

**Title**: Renascence

**Genre**: Action/Adventure, Romance, Fantasy, Comics

**Setting**: This story is set in the Elektra Movie-verse directly after my fic title "The Treasure" (also posted on this site)

**Rating: **PG-13, _for violence_

**Written By: **Jennifer Stacey a.k.a. _AssissinElektra _

"I've always known I'll end up in Hell. When you've done and seen the things I have there's no doubt of it. But, there was hope for Amanda. She could shed her Silent Death identity and become a person again. I just had to help her see it."

Jeremy Rich

From _**The Treasure**, _Chapter 12

**Chapter 1**

When you lose someone very close to you, your first impulse is to be angry. Whether you are angry with them or with yourself, you are angry. Me? I was angry at myself after Amanda's death. Why? Well, let me tell you.

Had I been there only moments before, had I made it in time, had I done a million other things, Amanda would be the immortal walking around the streets of New York, not me. But now, I had the rest of my never-ending life to think back on what I _should_ have done.

I have replayed Amanda's last few moments over and over again in my mind, without even meaning to half of the time. But, it is a moment I can never forget. I had loved her, still did even though she was now gone, and the gaping wound that her death had torn into me would never heal.

I was an immortal with all of eternity ahead of me, and all I wanted was one woman. But, I should have known that I was never allowed to have what I most desired. Maybe this was just a sort of penance for what I had done while working with Kismet, or maybe it would not make a difference at all.

I have seen and done some terrible things as Inferno, things I would not wish upon myself under any circumstances. But now, after Amanda had saved my soul from a seemingly dark demise, I was living only to help others. That was why I wondered the streets night after night, and sometimes during the day, ever watching for those who needed me. One night, I found that I was not alone.

"I've been looking for you." I stopped walking and waited for her to continue. The voice was familiar, I knew who it was, I just did not want to turn and face her, because seeing her would mean that she really was there, and that was the last thing I wanted.

"Why don't you respond?" Finally, grudgingly, I turned and looked at her.

"Because I don't need this right now, Siren." She smiled at the mention of her name. I saw that she had adopted a new costume. It was an antiqueish looking bodysuit with something similar to a corset and black pants. She still wore her custom-made boots though, and everything in her outfit had a brilliant gold lining to it. Her hair was only half tied back, the ends curled.

"Going for a new look." I commented, disgusted with how beautiful I thought she was.

"Do you like it?" She asked, running her hands down her sides and waist to show her curves off. "I know you do."

"Why are you bothering me?" I snapped, ignoring her question.

"Because, Inferno," She still would not use my first name, "I've heard some funny stories about my boy lately, and I came to check up on them."

"I'm not your boy." I growled.

"No." She said, pouting. "You never really were."

"What's that supposed to…"

"Anyway," She did not let me finish, "I heard you're fighting for the good guys now. There are lots of rumors going around underground that say you're our new enemy."

"If you're still fighting against good, then I am your enemy. In fact, in that case I'm your worst enemy." I told her coldly.

"I let you have her." She snapped, surprising me. "I was going to fight you for The Treasure, but I let you have her."

I grabbed her collar and threw her up against the wall in the alley we were talking in, the impact knocking the air from her lungs. "Her name was Amanda! And you did not let me have her! You were going to fight me for her until Fear showed you your father." Siren's eyes became wide at the mention of her father, and she lashed out at me with her finger nails. She scraped my cheeks, and when I let go of her and held onto my face I found blood on my hands. But, that, like all wounds I had received since the day Amanda had died, were already healing.

Siren's eyes got wide as she watched the healing process, and I realized then that she did not know about Amanda's immortality. She backed away from me, suddenly understanding that she was up against something she could not have anticipated at all.

"What happened to you?" She asked me carefully.

"I lost the only woman I have ever loved." I said, and I think I saw a hint of emotional pain in Siren's eyes from that comment. "But she gave me eternal life in return."

"You can't die?" She asked, reaching for her sword.

"Find out for yourself." My voice was cold, and Siren hesitated while she held the sword outward. Finally, growing impatient and irritated, I grabbed the blade and slammed it into my own chest, cutting my palms in the process of grabbing it.

Siren gasped and yanked the sword out quickly, the watched in awe as I ripped my shirt open so that she could watch the wound heal.

"Now that's just not fair." She commented jealously.

"Leave me alone." I said, brushing past her.

"Now, now, Inferno, this new…development of yours could help us greatly in the cause." She told me.

"You mean the cause to destroy the world?" I asked her, raising an eyebrow. "I abandoned that cause long ago."

"Did you?" Her hand touched my shoulder, and I shivered from the contact.

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"Why are we doing this, Shadow?" Tom asked, his voice just as uneasy as his eyes as he looked around.

"Because, Tom, we _owe_ it to her." Shadow replied, irritated. She sat the purple jewel down in front of the gravestone and then took a step back. It was about an inch all the way around, and cut to look like a diamond.

"What if she comes back…wrong?" Tom asked, and Shadow glared at him. "I'm just asking." He added. Although he was never afraid of Shadow, despite her unique ability, he _was_ afraid of what she was trying to do. "I mean, we're playing God here." He continued. "We really don't have the ri…" Shadow held up her hand and Tom became quiet.

"You are the son of a powerful leader in The Hand, Thomas. Why do you fight your destiny?" She asked him. Thomas watched her hand carefully, just in case she tried something. He really hated it when she used his full name. For some reason it made them seem like strangers.

"I like to believe that _I_ determine my destiny." He replied confidently.

"Well," She said, coldly, "You don't." Tom would have argued, but just as he opened his mouth to do so, the jewel began to glow. Violently purple light radiated from it, and Shadow took another step backwards, this time Tom following her example.

As they watched, the jewel glowed until they were certain it would burst, and then, with a sudden blast of energy up toward the stars, it grew dull again. They stood there, waiting for something to happen, but nothing did.

"I guess your plan didn't work after all." Tom told Shadow, somewhat relieved by the idea.

She sighed. "Come on, let's go." She said, as she started to walk away.

"I think I'd like to stay here for a while." Tom told her.

Shadow looked at him and shrugged. "Whatever." She said, and then she left him alone.

Once alone, Tom reached out and touched the letters on the tombstone. His fingers danced gently across the grooves of the engraving, and he wondered just why the stone had not worked. Thinking suddenly of the jewel, Tom reached down and picked it up. He was surprised that Shadow had left something she had treasured greatly enough to kill for, but there it was, its magic either gone or never having existed to begin with.

"Why does she want you back so badly?" Tom asked the silent grave. He pocketed the jewel and stood to leave, but a soft thudding sound made him stop and look back. His eyes grew wide as he saw a human hand break out of the ground and reach desperately upwards. Tom realized, with great fear, that Shadow's plan had worked after all.

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My heart came to life, beating extra fast as if to catch up for the days it had done nothing. I could hear it. Thump, thump, thump. It hurt. I realized that. My heart ached. I guess hearts are not supposed to start working again after they have been dead for a few days.

It was a bit of a shock, taking my first breath again. It was like I had never breathed before, like breathing was something alien to me. I felt the air rip down my throat and into my lifeless lungs. They came to life, turning the oxygen into carbon dioxide, but straining to get back into the swing of doing so as I breathed the air back out.

I opened my eyes and around, everything fuzzy and dark through eyes that had not been used for days, eyes that were trying to learn how to see again. I felt cold, very cold, and looked down at myself. I saw nothing but darkness.

That was when it dawned on me as I vaguely remembered dying. I took a deep breath and realized that the breath was not as deep as I had intended it to be. I was running out of what little air I did have. I gasped, coughed, and reached up, desperate to get out of what I knew had to be my coffin.

With the strength that I had claimed in life I broke through the coffin and into the dirt. The dirt bit at my knuckles, by I fought back anyway, this time using my whole body to reach up. And suddenly, I felt cold air hit my hand and knew that it was above the ground. I punched up with my other hand and felt more air. Desperate for air to breathe, I mustered what strength I had and jumped up. I broke through the ground violently and landed hard on the surface, gasping as my lungs were filled with sweat oxygen.

My first impulse was to stand, so I tried, and I almost collapsed. My muscles were arguing with me, telling me that what I wanted them to do just could not happen because they had died, because _I_ had died. People are not supposed to come back from the dead, they seemed to scream at me as I stood up again.

Ignoring the pain, I stood and looked around, my bare feet freezing against moist grass. I was so cold. Not cold as in, 'burr, turn on the heater!' I was cold as in _dead_. My body heat had not reactivated yet, or was trying its best and not going so fast.

Standing in front of me was an attractive scared looking man in his early twenties. He had short, brown hair that he wore spike, and his eyes were a deep brown. He did not look familiar, and I could not remember anything about myself besides that I had died, so I did not know who he was. But, for some reason, one name kept coming to the front of my mind.

"Jeremy?" My voice squeaked, vocal cords that had been unused for a while coming back to life.

The stranger looked at me in stunned silence for a moment, then said quietly, "My name is Tom."

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice still scratchy.

"That's not important." He told me quickly. "What is, is that you're back."

"Who am I?" I asked him, looking at myself. I was wearing a beautiful long, black dress with regal sleeves and a high V-neck. For some reason I felt uncomfortable in a dress though, as if I had never felt comfortable in one.

"You are," I looked up at Tom ask he spoke, "Silent Death, the assassin."

6


	2. Chapter 2

**Renascence **

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Elektra or any other Marvel Comics characters. This is a fan fiction story meant only for the enjoyment of myself and other Elektra movie and comic fans.

**Title**: Renascence

**Genre**: Action/Adventure, Romance, Fantasy, Comics

**Setting**: This story is set in the Elektra Movie-verse directly after my fic title "The Treasure" (also posted on this site)

**Rating: **PG-13, _for violence_

**Written By: **Jennifer Stacey a.k.a. _AssissinElektra _

**Chapter 2**

My fingers gently ran across the surface of the spear and the touch seemed oddly familiar. I pulled my hand away though, noticing that my knuckles were bloody from breaking up out of my grave. Tom walked over and sat a cold, wet cloth on my hands ever so gently, without even saying a word. He left the room for a moment, then came back and spoke.

"It was yours." He told me. I looked up at him questioningly. Everything seemed odd, seemed unnatural to me, even though I knew that I had to have had a life before my death. "You used it to kill people." He said darkly, walking over to his kitchen in the other room.

I followed him, wincing at the pain that every step shot through my feet and up my body. I watched in silence as he reached up into the drawer above his microwave and pulled out a first aid kit. He looked back at me.

"You feeling okay?" He asked me.

"I feel…" I could not answer him because no words came to mind that would explain how I felt.

"I'm not going to tell Shadow you're here." He said quickly, as he started cleaning my knuckles. "She doesn't have to know it worked." He added. "If she found out, you would be…" He looked at me, then stopped talking.

"Who is Shadow?" I asked him.

"She's a powerful wielder of black magic, a witch in a sense. And she's working for The Hand." Tom answered.

I felt hate trickle down my spine at the mention of The Hand, and my hands bunched into fists without me even thinking about it. "The Hand?" I asked. "What is The Hand?"

"Have you really forgotten?" He asked me, looking surprised. "After all w…" He paused, "After all _they_ did to you, you don't remember a thing?"

"What did they do to me?" I asked.

"Amanda, they destroyed you. The Hand is the reason you became an assassin at all. Before them you were…you were nothing but a gifted little girl." He started bandaging my hands.

"I should be healing already." I told Tom, not quite sure how I knew that fact, but very sure that it was indeed true. He looked up at me through wary eyes.

"Why?"

"I don't remember." I admitted. "But I should already be healed and I'm not. Something is…different than it was before."

"You _died_, Amanda." Tom said, saying it as gently as he could. But hearing it still felt awful.

"Then how am I back?" I asked him, and it was his turn to not know how to reply. "_Why_ am I back?" I asked, and Tom actually had an answer for that question.

He pulled a picture of a woman out of his wallet that looked like a mug shot. "We need you to kill her." He said, handing the picture to me. "Her name is Siren."

"That name sounds familiar." I said.

"I don't know why it would." Tom told me. "I'm pretty sure you've never met her." I closed my eyes as a memory came to my mind.

"_You're going to make this harder than it needs to be, aren't you?"_ The voice sounded familiar_. "Hand her over now and I can save her, Inferno."_

"Who's Inferno?" I asked, opening my eyes. The question seemed to bother Tom more than anything I had asked so far.

"No one." He said, coldly. "Forget about him."

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There are times in my life when I am so disgusted with myself that I actually consider suicide. That next morning, when I woke up lying next to Siren, I had that feeling stronger than I ever had before.

"Get out!" I snapped, waking her up. She smiled slyly at me.

"So soon, Jeremy?" She asked, her voice as taunting as her eyes. "We've just gotten started." She said, walking over to me and running her hands up my bare chest. I backed away from her touch, and she looked surprised. "Being immortal hasn't helped you any." She said sharply, walking towards the door. She grabbed her clothes and put them on quickly. "You're still catering to your human emotions for _her_." Siren walked out then, letting the door slam behind her, and I was relieved to be alone.

I walked over and looked in the mirror, glaring at the man that stared back at me. "Why'd you do it, Jeremy?" I asked my reflection. "Siren's not going to leave you alone now." Looking away from the mirror I grabbed my costume and quickly put it on.

A few minutes later I was walking in the most dangerous neighborhood of the city, watching and waiting for someone to need my help. No one called out. I only got glares from people who knew who I was and smirks from people who did not.

It wasn't until someone called out my name that I stopped walking and looked back. The man who had said my name was a thug in all meaning of the word. He wore a dirt trench coat that held his guns, and a large, bitter-smelling cigar hung from his mouth as he spoke.

"You're not takin' my neighborhood, kid." He told me.

"Whatever you say." I said, snapping my fingers. At the snap of my fingers his cigar blew up in his face, and he hurriedly threw it on the ground.

"I heard you were a freak." He told me, brushing some soot off of his face. "Didn't think ya'd have the guts to go against me doh."

"And just who are you that I should be so cautious?" I asked sarcastically.

"Kid, you're talkin' to the Mobster." He told me.

"Oh." I said. "The man who gathers criminals with unique powers to take over neighborhoods." I concluded. "I've heard of you." I told him. "Not scared." I turned my back on him and started walking away.

"You stop right there!" He warned, and when I did not stop he shot me. I growled in anger and turned around to glare at him.

"That hurt!" I said, ignoring the clink the bullet made as it slid out of my stomach and onto the sidewalk. The Mobster watched in great surprise as my wound healed before his eyes. "Your crew isn't the only special power in town." I told him.

"You're just suppose' to control fire and water." He said. "What's dis here?"

"This," I said, pointing to where the bullet wound had been. "This was a gift." I told him. "This is also the reason I'm not going to kill you." I said, kicking him onto the ground. One of his guns flew into the air, and I caught it and had it right in his face when he looked up. "Because she wouldn't want me to." I said, leaning down to look at him. "That's the only reason you walk away alive today." I whispered, before leaving him lying there in surprise.

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I looked in silence at the weapons Tom had laid out on his table. My eyes turned to him and he nodded towards the weapons. "Go ahead." He said. "Maybe it will help you remember something." 

I carefully picked up the sai that laid in front of me. For some reason they seemed very important, like their value was more sentimental than literal. I studied the Japanese symbols that ran up and down the blades, wishing I could remember what they said.

Quickly, and without thinking, I twirled the sai in my hands, letting the cold metal caress my skin. It felt good to hold those weapons, like I had been born to do so. But, I sat them down on the table and looked at the next weapon. It was the spear I had looked at before.

Picking it up I noticed that both ends were perfectly balanced, as it had been designed to be the perfect weapon. I twirled it a few times, throwing it into the air and catching it again. But then I noticed the last item on the table. It was a gold chain.

"What is this for?" I asked Tom, picking it up.

"That was Abby's." He said.

"Abby?" I tried to remember her, because the name sounded familiar.

I seemed to hear a voice in my head that was hers. _"You must let go of your anger and hate, Amanda, or it will destroy you."_

"Why do you want Siren dead?" I asked, and Tom seemed surprised by the question.

"She's trying to destroy me." He said.

"Why?" I asked and Tom looked irritated by the question.

"Because, that's what she does, destroy people."

"How did she destroy you?" I asked, willing to push his limits to get the answers I wanted. I could not remember my life or anything about myself, but I had the distinct feeling that I did not let people push me around. With a name like Silent Death who would _want_ to push me around?

4


	3. Chapter 3

**Renascence **

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Elektra or any other Marvel Comics characters. This is a fan fiction story meant only for the enjoyment of myself and other Elektra movie and comic fans.

**Title**: Renascence

**Genre**: Action/Adventure, Romance, Fantasy, Comics

**Setting**: This story is set in the Elektra Movie-verse directly after my fic title "The Treasure" (also posted on this site)

**Rating: **PG-13, _for violence_

**Written By: **Jennifer Stacey a.k.a. _AssissinElektra _

**Author's Note: **I'm glad that those of you who are reading this fic are enjoying it, but the truth is that if I don't get more reviews I have no reason to write this fic. I love writing it, I really do, but I don't have much time anymore between school and work, and I would much rather work on other fics that are being read and reviewed rather than take the time to write a story only I would enjoy. So please, tell your friends about this fic and get more reviews! I'd also like suggestions for this fic as it is a sequel and I realize that some of you may have had ideas of what should have happened in the first one. Now is the time to share them with me!

**Chapter 3**

I watched her walking down the street and noticed the confidence that each step she took showed. Siren was not afraid of anyone or anything. She held herself with great posture, always aware of what was going on around her, except for my presence that is.

I crept from the shadows silently and stepped into pace behind her. Then, I silently pulled the sai I had tied to my belt out and readied them to stab her. But, just as I was about to stab her, Siren stopped walking and looked around as if she sensed something was up.

Creeping back into the shadows, I was able to dodge her eyes long enough for her suspicion to disappear. She started walking again, and I fell into step behind her once more. This time, I did not hesitate to stab her. Holding the two sai up, I slammed them down toward her back. But Siren, somehow sensing my move, jumped out of the way and kicked at my feet. I fell to the ground, rolling back to my feet almost immediately.

Siren looked at me. "What do you want?" She asked, her voice defiant.

"Nothing." I said, twirling the sai around my fingers. "You're nothing more than a job to me."

"Look, I don't know what you're playing at, coming her and acting like Jeremy's dead girlfriend, but you're not amusing me at all." She said, glaring at me.

"Jeremy?" I almost dropped the sai at the mention of his name, and yet I did not know why it affected me so.

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One Week Later

"Shadow?" I called out to her dark apartment.

"It's open." She said, and I followed the sound of her voice to her work out room. She was doing sit-ups, but she stopped and walked over when she saw that I was there. "Hey, Tom." She said, walking over to get a water bottle she had left sitting on some weights. "What's up?"  
"Nothing." I said, smiling. "Do I need a reason to see you?"

"Well lately you have seemed to." She snapped.

"Hey, I've been busy." I told her.

"Doing what, Tom? Nothing to do with The Hand, that's for sure. I spoke with your father last night. He hasn't seen you in days." She sat her water bottle down and looked at me. "You don't look too good. Have you been sleeping okay?"

"Not really." I admitted. "Had a migraine the last few days that won't go away."

She scoffed. "Kinda glad that whole thing with Amanda didn't work out." Shadow said, surprising me.

"Why?"

"Because _I'd_ be the one with the headache right now." She said. "First person to touch the jewel after someone's brought back with it shares their life-force with the one brought back. It can be draining sometimes when they need more strength—or so I've heard." She added. "We do need to try again though." Shadow said, her tone becoming more serious. "Maybe it's time to call in the big gun, Tom." She gave me a look and I knew exactly what she was thinking.

"No." I told her. "We're not bringing him into this."

"He could help." Shadow argued.

"The only thing he's ever done is destroy everything I care about. He's not doing that this time." I said.

"Tom, he doesn't even know you're alive, so how could he possibly have been after you all these years on purpose? He has no idea who you are now."

"He killed our sister!" I screamed, making Shadow jump. "Do you know what the smell of burning flesh is like?" I felt angry tears coming to my eyes, but I fought them. "And it was just a game to him. He was a bored pyro."

"Tom, you need to suck it up and bring your brother back to The Hand." Shadow told me, standing up. "We need his help, and I am not letting some childhood tragedy that the two of you share jeopardize everything I've worked so hard for!" She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and handed it to me. "Now you call Jeremy, and get him here." She demanded.

"He's not going to agree to this." I told her as I dialed his number. "I hope for his own safety that he doesn't." I added.

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Being immortal has its advantages. I mean, catching bullets is impressive and all, but being able to never fear death again? That's an amazingly freeing feeling. And yet, I would trade it in a heartbeat to see Amanda again.

She had given me my life back, had helped save my soul from a dark path I'd paved on my own. Amanda had saved me, and I had repaid that wonderful gift by living a worthless, pathetic life in which I could never move on as long as she was gone. I had promised to try to live a good life, and I had failed to do so. But the woman I loved was dead, and I wanted nothing more than her.

I glanced at my phone and glared at the unrecognized number. After a few seconds, I sighed and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Jeremy Rich?"

"Yeah. Who is this?" I asked, getting impatient.

"It's Tom." I almost dropped the phone, but something gave me the strength to hold onto it a bit longer.

"How did you get this number?" I asked.

"The and has connections, Jeremy." He told me, and I could hear the resentment he felt for me in his voice. "Something's come up, big brother, and I need you to do a favor for me."

"Oh yeah and what's that, Tom, because the last I knew you didn't want me anywhere near you." I snapped. I had tried to reconcile with my brother, because we'd been close before the…incident. But Tom could never forgive me for Becky's death.

"I think you'll be interested in this one." Tom told me. "It's about Amanda." I stood up, anger rushing through me.

"What do you know about…"

"Enough." He told me. "It's a simple story, really. Boy was sent to find girl, girl tried to kill boy, they discovered they had an enemy in common and fell in love while trying to defeat him."

"We _did_ defeat Kismet." I said sharply.

"Sure." Tom said sarcastically. "But The Hand lives on, Jeremy."

"You would know all about that, wouldn't you? Do you have any idea what The Hand did to her, what they put her through!"

"I know exactly what they did, Jeremy." Tom said coldly. "Dad made me watch it all." My mouth dropped at the mention of my father. "That's right. Daddy-O is still alive and kicking."

"What do you want from me?" I asked.

"We need Amanda back." Tom said, and that overwhelming anger returned to me.

"Look, I loved her! I would give anything to have her back again, but what you're talking about it just wrong! If you brought her back with dark magic she could…come back wrong. And besides, I like to think she in her eternal paradise now, happy."

"You really think she earned a ticket to heaven by being an assassin?" Tom scoffed. "She did some horrible things, Jeremy. She didn't just kill those she was hired to destroy, she _tortured_ them."

"Must have been something she picked up on while staying in your neighborhood." I remarked as I hung up.

4


End file.
